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Kurds in Japan

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Kurds in Japan
Kurdên Japonyayê
在日クルド人 (Zainichi Kurudo-jin)
Total population
2,000–3,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
Southern Saitama (Kawaguchi, Warabi)
Languages
Kurdish, Turkish
 
People
Population
  • Homeland
History

Ancient

Karduchian dynasties

Corduene
Zabdicene
Cyrtians
Moxoene

Medieval

Modern
Culture
Languages
Kurdish languages
Religion

Kurds in Japan (Japanese: 在日クルド人, Zainichi Kurudo-jin, Kurdish: Kurdên Japonyayê) refers to Kurds residing in Japan. Kurds do not have a majority nation state and live in Kurdistan, a region that includes Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq in the Middle East and South Caucasus.

Beginning in Spring 2023, there has been a significant increase in anti-Kurdish sentiment in Japan. This was reportedly in part fueled by Turkish people spreading anti-Kurdish messaging in the Japanese language using the social media platform X. Kurds have been receiving death threats and calls for their mass deportation.[2][3][4]

History

[edit]

In the 1990s, they began to settle in the area around JR Warabi station. Many of them continued to live in the area illegally, without residence permits, with the local government unaware of their true status.[5]

In the 1990s, Kurds of Turkish nationality began arriving in Japan, following Iranian Kurds who had been living in Japan since the 1980s, and settled in Kawaguchi City and Warabi City in Saitama Prefecture, where rents and other living costs were relatively cheap given their proximity to Tokyo. The area have become the largest Kurd settlement in Japan.[6]

In 2010, during the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) administration, a unified work permit was introduced for applicants who had applied for refugee status six months earlier, which led to an increase in the number of refugee applicants applying for refugee status to work in Japan. On 12 January 2006, the Abe administration abolished the unified work requirement and reinstated the residence and work requirements for applicants who clearly did not qualify as refugees, and the number of refugee applicants dropped by half.[6][7][8]

By 2024, the total number of Kurds in Japan is estimated to be 2,000 or more than 3,000, depending on media reports. As of April 2024, it is estimated that in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, there are about 700 "provisional releasees" who are illegal immigrants, and about 1,300 provisional releasees with a temporary residence status called "specified activities" (refugee visa during refugee status procedures). Previously, information on provisional releasees had not been reported to local governments, making it difficult to ascertain the actual number of such persons, but the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act has been revised and the actual number is now known. It is reported that following the implementation of the revised Act, the suspension of deportation during the application for refugee status will in principle be limited to twice, and the number of provisional releasees is expected to decrease.[9]

Background

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Japan and Turkey have a visa waiver agreement for up to 90 days. Kurds claim that they are persecuted in Turkey.[10][11] The Turkish government claims that there are no Kurdish refugees because Kurds 'have the right to vote and their human rights are guaranteed'.[12][13]

As of 2024, only one refugee claim has been granted by the Japanese government, a case won in court in 2022 against the rejection of a refugee claim.[14]

The problem of illegal Kurdish residents in Japan repeatedly applying for refugee status and continuing to stay in the country has come to the fore, and the revised Immigration Control Act came into force on 10 June 2024 to fundamentally address this problem.[15] This allows refugee claimants to be deported after the third time, unless they can provide 'material with reasonable grounds' for a new refugee claim.[15] As of March 2024, there were 1661 multiple refugee claimants nationwide, of whom 402, or a quarter, were Turkish nationals; 80% of the 1661 were second time claimants, but there are a total of 348 foreigners who are third to sixth time claimants who have refused deportation and are living in the country and will eventually be deported and returned to their home country through deportation.[15]

Living

[edit]

Language

[edit]

Many Kurds in Japan are said to use a mixture of Kurdish and Turkish. However, some parents do not teach their children Kurdish.[16]

Kurdistan Workers' Party

[edit]

In 2015, a clash took place outside the Turkish embassy in Tokyo between Kurds and Turks in Japan during early voting for the Turkish general election. Japanese and Kurdish sources claimed the clash began when the Turks assaulted the Kurds after a Kurdish party flag was shown at the embassy.[17]

In December 2008, the Turkish government froze the assets of two organisations in Japan, including the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and the Kurdistan Red Moon, and six of their leaders, including Wakkas Çorak, the secretary-general of the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association, for their support of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).[18][19] The fundraising event held at the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association office, which featured a flag depicting the founder of the PKK and the PKK's flag, along with the transfer of approximately 40 million yen collected for the PKK, was identified by the Turkish government as a terrorist financing operation.[20] The flag of a PKK-affiliated organisation is displayed in the office of the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association.[21]

The Kurdish festival Nowruz, organised by the Japanese Kurdish Cultural Association, is also opposed by local residents to the use of the park for events because of the PKK-affiliated flags and the singing of the PKK anthem, which sings about the massacre of Turkish soldiers. In March 2024, a permit was granted after it had been denied, Neuroz was held in Saitama Prefecture, with as many as 1,300 people taking part in the event amidst a fierce uprising, under a high alert by a large number of riot police and Saitama Prefectural Police.[22][23] Also in Neuroz, the PKK sign, Peace, is held up by many participants to create a lot of excitement.[21]

[edit]

Most Kurds in Japan are from shepherding villages in Southeast Turkey and reside in the Warabi and Kawaguchi areas of Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo. Warabi, especially, has been nicknamed "Warabistan"[24][25] by those who are interested in Kurdish people, culture and issues.

Some Kurdish people arrived in Japan in order to request refugee status; citing human rights abuses in Turkey and Iraq. Nonetheless, so far none have been successful in their application due to failing to meet refugee status requirements.[26][27] While many obtain visas through marriage with a Japanese citizen, most have obtained "Special Permission to Stay" (在留特別許可, Zairyū Tokubetsu Kyoka) visas, which must be renewed every three months while their refugee application or appeal is being reviewed. A documentary directed by Masaru Nomoto (野本 大) entitled Backdrop Kurdistan (バックドロップ・クルディスタン) documented the legal struggles of one Kurdish family (Kazankıran family: Japanese: カザンキラン, Kazankiran) from Kahramanmaraş Province.[28]

In June 2023, the Kawaguchi City Council passed an opinion calling on the state, prefecture and other authorities to 'strengthen the crackdown on crimes committed by some foreigners' in the city, citing friction between 'some foreigners' and local residents in the city.[29][30][31]

Anti-Kurdish sentiment in Japan

[edit]

Social media posts, that were in part spread by Turkish people using Google Translate, have caused an increase in hate against Kurdish people in Japan.[2] Such posts reportedly began to escalate in Spring 2023.[4] The Asahi Shimbun found that posts on social media platform X about Kurdish people in Japan went from 40,000 in March 2023 to 240,000 in April 2023, to 1.08 million by July. By March 2024, it reached 2.42 million. Journalist Ishii Takaaki [ja] has been accused of being a significant figure of spreading anti-Kurdish messaging, which Ishii denies. Ishii claimed in a statement that "Japanese hardly discriminate".[2] One video was edited to link Kurds in Japan to violent separatism in Turkey. It received over 12 million views total. Numerous comments reportedly demanded that Kurds should be expelled from Japan or killed.[32] The reputation of the Kurdistan Workers' Party ("PKK"), which is considered by Turkey to be a terrorist organization, has affected Kurds in Japan. The Japan Kurdish Cultural Organization has denied links to the PKK, but Japanese social media posts reportedly often generalize Kurds as being terrorists regardless.[4]

Some of the Kurdish people in Saitama had friction with residents over noise complaints and adherence to garbage collection rules. A public brawl involving Kurdish people in a parking lot received significant news attention, and a significant outpouring of hate speech on the internet.[33]

Death threats and demands for the expulsion of Kurds from Japan have escalated. One Kurdish restaurant owner received calls with such messages.[4] Several Kurds interviewed reported to be fearing for their lives.[4] Japanese local government employees reported being inundated with phone calls to expel the Kurds or foreigners in general. One employee reported that their entire day was taken up with dealing with such calls. One man was charged with sending death threats to a Kurdish organization; he reportedly vowed to "kill all the Kurds and feed them to the pigs".[33]

Famous Kurds in Japan

[edit]
  • Vakkas Çolak
    • Owner of Mesopotamia, a Kurdish restaurant located in Tokyo.
    • Serves as the President and Secretary of the Kurdish Friendship Association of Japan.
    • Holds the position of Secretary General at the Japan Kurdish Culture Association.
    • Also works as a lecturer of Kurdish language at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
    • He is married to a non-Japanese woman with permanent resident status.
    • On November 29, 2023, both he and the Japan Kurdish Culture Association had their assets in Turkey frozen by the Turkish government due to their association with the terrorist organization PKK/KCK[34]
  • Mehmet Çolak
    • Vakkas’s brother who had been detained in an immigration facility.
    • Featured in the documentary film Tokyo Kurds.
  • Ramazan Dursun
    • Former provisional releasee, currently on a special permission to stay in Japan with his brother as of 2023.[35]
    • Appeared alongside his uncle Mehmet in the documentary film Tokyo Kurds.
    • In 2023, he testified before the House of Councillors Legal Affairs Committee regarding the revision of the Immigration Control Act.[36]
  • Ozan Uçar
    • Also featured in Tokyo Kurds.
    • Arrived in Japan at the age of 6 with his father Yusuf, a supporter of the Kurdish armed forces.[37]
    • Has lived as an illegal immigrant since then.
  • Mehmet Yücel
    • President of Rojava Corporation, a demolition company in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture.
    • Represents the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association, whose assets in Turkey were frozen by the Turkish government on November 29, 2023, due to his affiliation with a terrorist organization.
  • Deniz Yengin
    • Former long-term detainee.

Japanese/Japan resident supporters

[edit]
  • Hidenobu Matsuzawa (松澤 秀延)
    • Former Executive Director of the "Knowing Kurds Society," which was established in Japan in 2003 to learn about and promote Kurdish culture and history.
    • Previously served as a Japan Self Defense Force officer and worked as a landscape gardener.
  • Tatsuo Nukui (温井 立央)
    • Currently the President of the voluntary organization "Together with Kurds in Japan" (HEVAL). This organization operates independently from the Kurdish People’s Association and focuses on local activities.
  • Akinobu Kinoshita (木下 顕伸)
    • Holds the position of Representative Director at the Japan Kurdish Friendship Association.
  • Mitsuhiro Kimura (木村 三浩)
    • Serves as an Advisor for the Japan Kurdish Exchange Liaison Association.
    • Also known as a representative of Issui-kai, a right-wing Pan-Asianism group.
  • Gen Nakatani (中谷 元)
    • Currently the Chairman of the Japan-Kurdish Parliamentary Friendship Association.
    • A member of the House of Representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party.
    • Former Japan Self-Defense Forces officer.
    • Additionally, he advises the Prime Minister on international human rights issues and chairs the Japan-Israel Parliamentary Friendship League.
  • Masamune Wada (和田 政宗)
    • Holds the position of Secretary General within the Japan-Kurdish Parliamentary Friendship Association.
    • A member of the House of Councilors of the Liberal Democratic Party.
  • Yoshitaka Shindo (新藤 義孝)
    • Vice President of the Japan-Kurdish Parliamentary Friendship Association.
    • Represents the House of Representatives from Saitama’s 2nd election district (Kawaguchi city).
    • Currently serves as the minister in charge of economic revival as of 2024.
  • Sangmun (Naofumi) Fukushima (福島 尚文)
    • Co-chairman of the "Kurdish Refugee Association with Deniz-san."
    • Also a board member of the Cultural Center Arirang.
    • Former reporter for Kyodo News.
    • Represents the "Stop Constitutional Revision and War March" movement organized by the Revolutionary Communist League, National Committee, which is designated as an "ultra-left vandalism group" by the Japanese police.[38]
  • Kaori Shu (周 香織)
    • Secretary of the "Association to Support Kurdish Refugee M-san."
  • Il-sung Nakamura (中村 一成)
  • Tsuyoshi Ohashi (大橋 毅)
    • Secretary General of Kurdish Refugee Lawyers Association.
    • Attorney at Law.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "川口のクルド人は「夜の巡回」で共生を目指す SNSで強まる非難…でも「この街を故郷と思っている」". Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese). 2023-11-22.
  2. ^ a b c "Social media posters abroad fuel hatred of Kurds in Japan". The Asahi Shimbun. 2024-06-05.
  3. ^ "Hate speech escalates against Kurds living close to Tokyo". The Asahi Shimbun. 2024-04-20.
  4. ^ a b c d e "'I became afraid to go out': Hate speech escalates against Kurds in east Japan (Pt. 1)". Mainichi Daily News. 2024-03-29. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  5. ^ Katayama, Naomi (2021). "在日クルド人コミュニティにおける異文化間コミュニケーションの研究ー「わかりあえる日本語コミュニケーション」に向けて―" (Thesis) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-06-24 – via CiNii.
  6. ^ a b "川口のクルド人はなぜ増えたか きっかけはイラン人、民主党政権で難民申請激増" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2024-05-02. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  7. ^ "法務省、難民申請後6カ月での就労許可を廃止 在留の制限強化" (in Japanese). Reuters. 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  8. ^ "「申請半年で就労」廃止 難民認定巡り法務省" (in Japanese). The Nikkei. 2018-01-12. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  9. ^ "川口の仮放免者700人、初めて判明 大半はクルド人か 各自治体に情報提供へ運用見直し 「移民」と日本人" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2024-04-13. Archived from the original on 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-04-14.
  10. ^ "トルコ国籍のクルド人、初めての難民認定「私以外の人にも希望に」". The Asahi Shimbun. 2022-08-09. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  11. ^ "「クルドへの迫害知って」差別恐れ、日本でも身元隠す" (in Japanese). Kobe Shimbun. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  12. ^ "クルド人は難民ではない？「その答えは十分に説明した」 トルコ大使". Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). 2024-01-07. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  13. ^ "川口クルド問題、在日トルコ社会も困惑 「イメージ悪化」「日本政府は入国管理厳格化を」 「移民」と日本人" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2024-03-26. Archived from the original on 2024-03-28. Retrieved 2024-03-29.
  14. ^ "難民不認定処分取り消し判決の上告期限 古川法相「判決内容を精査して対応する」" (in Japanese). Tokyo Shimbun. 2024-06-24. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  15. ^ a b c "「アバレルヨー」本当に帰せるか 難民申請繰り返すクルド人ら改正法１０日施行でどうなる" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2024-06-09. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  16. ^ "難民申請4回却下でも解体業を経営する「川口市のクルド人」の本音（後編）". Mainichi Shimbun. 2023-11-20. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
  17. ^ "Turks and Kurds clash in Japan over Turkey elections". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 2020-10-13. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  18. ^ "日本のクルド団体の資産凍結 「反政府組織と関連」―トルコ" (in Japanese). Jiji Press. 2023-12-06. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  19. ^ "なぜ今、クルド人ヘイトが増えている？ 夜回りや被災地支援など「溶け込む努力している人たちもいること知って」" (in Japanese). Tokyo Shimbun. 2024-04-29. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  20. ^ "川口のクルド団体「テロ支援」トルコが資産凍結 地震で「４千万円」、団体側「冤罪だ」" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2023-12-05. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  21. ^ a b 宗像誠之 (2016-04-21). "なぜ埼玉県南部にクルド人が集まるのか？ クルディスタンを離れ「ワラビスタン」になった理由". 日経ビジネス. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  22. ^ "クルドの祭事に１３００人が参加で厳戒態勢…中止訴える人も" (in Japanese). Yomiuri Shimbun. 2024-06-22. Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  23. ^ "クルド系テロ組織PKK関係団体が、埼玉県で祭り開催へ-県が認める恐怖" (in Japanese). journal of Protect Japan. 2024-03-06. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  24. ^ Chie Matsumoto, "Kurds live lives interrupted" Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, Kurdish Media, original: Asahi Shimbun, April 30
  25. ^ ワラビスタン～日本のクルド人 (Warabistan - Nihon no Kurudo-jin), Asahi Shimbun, December 15, 2005. (in Japanese)
  26. ^ "Economist". Retrieved 24 February 2016.
  27. ^ Tsumura, Tadashi (3 September 2015). "Japan's Kurds often in limbo, despite significant community". Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015 – via Japan Times Online.
  28. ^ Backdrop Kurdistan Archived 2010-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, goo Eiga. (in Japanese)
  29. ^ "迷惑あおり運転、100人が病院で大騒ぎ…暴走する一部外国人、相次ぐ苦情 問題の背景は 騒動を取材＜下＞". Saitama Shinbun. 2023-08-12. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  30. ^ "病院でクルド人「１００人」騒ぎ、救急受け入れ５時間半停止 埼玉・川口" (in Japanese). Sankei Shimbun. 2023-07-30. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  31. ^ "一部外国人による犯罪の取り締まり強化を求める意見書" (PDF) (in Japanese).
  32. ^ "Man whose video fueled anti-Kurd sentiment has 'mixed feelings'". The Asahi Shimbun. 2024-09-03. Retrieved 2024-10-11.
  33. ^ a b "Japanese Hate Groups Targeting Kurdish Community". nippon.com. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
  34. ^ "HAKKINDA TÜRKİYE'DE BULUNAN MALVARLIĞININ DONDURULMASI KARARI ALINAN GERÇEK VE TÜZEL KİŞİLER" (PDF). T.C. CUMHURBAŞKANLIĞI RESMÎ GAZETE. Turkish Government. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 November 2023. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  35. ^ "祖国で投獄、拷問なら日本国内での服役を選ぶ...!? 「入管法改正」に抗議する在留外国人たちの切実な事情". 5 June 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  36. ^ "入管法改正「家族がバラバラに」 25歳のクルド人男性、国会で訴え". 25 May 2023. Archived from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  37. ^ "「捕まってでも苦境伝える」 国なき民、在日クルドが映画に―難民認定なし、移動や就労制限". Jiji Press (in Japanese). 2022-12-29. Archived from the original on 2022-12-29.
  38. ^ "全力で中国侵略戦争阻む 大行進 翼賛国会開会に戦闘宣言". 24 January 2022. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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